Peanut Butter Meringue Pie

I asked my husband what kind of dessert he'd like for the Super Bowl.  I showed him a few things that I had on my 'Dessert' board on Pinterest, and he said, "Could you make me a Peanut Butter Meringue Pie?"  The first thought through my head was, "There can't be a Peanut Butter Meringue pie, that sounds utterly disgusting!"  But, I googled it, and lo and behold, it is a valid dessert.  I looked at the ingredients and saw we had everything, so I told him I'd make him a Peanut Butter Meringue pie, but told him there was no guarantee that I'd actually eat said pie.

Peanut Butter Meringue Pie

From Taste of Home

Ingredients

Pie filling

Pastry for single-crust pie

¾ cup confectioners’ sugar

½ cup creamy peanut butter

2/3 cup sugar

3 tablespoons cornstarch

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

Dash of salt

3 cups of 2% milk

3 egg yolks

2 tablespoons of butter

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Meringue

3 egg whites

¼ teaspoon cream of tarter

¼ cup sugar

Directions

1)    Roll out pastry to fit a 9-in pie plate.  Transfer pastry to pie plate, and trip to ½ inch beyond the edge of the plate; flute edges.  Line unpricked pastry with a double layer of foil, and fill with dried beans, uncooked rice or pie weights.

2)      Bake crust at 450 degrees for 8 minutes.  Remove pie crust filler and foil; bake 5-7 minutes longer or until crust is lightly browned.  Remove from oven and cool on wire rack.

3)      Meanwhile, in a small bowl, beat confectioners’ sugar and peanut butter until crumbly, about 2 minutes.  Set aside.

4)      In a large heavy saucepan, combine the sugar, cornstarch, flour and salt.  Stir in milk until smooth and cook over medium high heat until thickened and bubbly.  Reduce heat; cook and stir 2 minutes longer.

5)      Remove from the heat.  Stir a small amount of the hot mixture into the bowl with the egg yolks.  Return all of the mixture to the pan, stirring constantly.  Bring to a gentle boil; cook  and stir 2 minutes longer.  Remove from heat.  Stir in butter and vanilla.

6)      Sprinkle 1 cup of the peanut butter mixture over the crust, and then pour the hot filling over the top.

7)      In a large bowl, beat egg whites and cream of tarter on medium speed until soft peaks begin to form.  Slowly add 1 tablespoon of sugar at a time, on high until stiff glossy peaks form and the sugar is dissolved.  Spread evenly over hot filling, sealing edges to the crust.  Sprinkle with the remaining peanut butter mixture.

8)   Bake at 350 degrees for 12-14 minutes or until the meringue starts to turn light brown.

      Let cool on a wire rack and refrigerate 4 hours before serving.

During the second half of the Super Bowl, while the rest of the group is eating football decorated cupcakes, my husband cut into his pie.  He sat down and took a bite, and immediately stated that it was amazing.  He went back and ate another slice and tried to convince the rest of us to eat it.  I took a sliver of it, and while I'm not a fan of meringue (it is the spongy texture), the peanut butter and the custard part of the pie were delicious, and I have to admit, much more delicious than I thought it would be.  I'm not sure this is a great football pie, but it is a really good pie.